Thumper's Mother
by Christiana Gallagher
Summary: [Bambi]The life of Thumper's mother, Clover. I have not read Felix Salten's book, so all characters and events in this story came from either my imagination or the movie. I do not own any of Disney's characters.
1. Clover's First Memory

Clover looked at her new kits with pride. She had one boy and three girls. It was unfortunate that she would have to raise them all by herself. If only Thump hadn't been killed by Man. Oh, how Clover hated Man. Clover studied the boy the most. He looked just like his father. One of his feet was moving at the same speed and motion that Thump was always doing.

"Thumper," Clover murmured to herself, "Thumper. Yes…yes…to honor his father."

Clover's first memory was when the Great Prince of the Forest's brother died. His name was Oakwood, and he was considered a feeble, silly deer but all of the forest animals honored his memory to support the Great Prince of the Forest whom they admired above all the other animals.

Clover was just two months old when Oakwood died. All the creatures attended a mourning service for him. Clover was protected by her parents—only allowed to leave their specific home once a month. Therefore, Oakwood's mourning service was the first time that Clover had ever seen the Great Prince of the Forest.

"Who is that tall deer?" Clover inquired.

"That is the Great Prince of the Forest," her mother answered before the service began, "he has lived longer than any animal in the forest. We all respect him, for he rules over us. His brother is no longer with us and that is why we are here."

"Didn't you know that, Clover?" Clover's older brother, Greene, teased her, "I thought everybody knew that."

"Yeah!" another one of Clover's brothers, Cutton, giggled.

"Boys, stop teasing Clover," Clover's mother scolded the boys. Then the service started. But Clover didn't pay any attention to it. She was too occupied studying the handsome, strong Great Prince of the Forest. He had lived through so much…he looked so strong and mature. Clover wished she could cause the other animals to be as awestruck of her as she was of the Great Prince. After the service, Clover's mother told her kits that she was going to speak briefly with the Great Prince.

"Can I go with you, Mamma?" Clover asked.

"Of…of…course, Clover!" Clover's mother stuttered, astonished by the fact that one of her kits was interested in meeting the Great Prince of the Forest. Clover arranged for another doe to watch her other children. Then Clover and her mother walked over to the long line of animals that were waiting to speak to the Great Prince. Clover and her mother waited for what felt like an eternity, and then it was time for the two of them to speak.

"We're so sorry for your loss," Clover's mother sighed, "I wish we rabbits could have known Oakwood better. He seemed like a brave and caring buck." In reality, Clover's mother thought Oakwood seemed cowardly and selfish but she wouldn't dare say that out loud especially not to Oakwood's brother.

"Yes, yes," the Great Prince agreed in a hurried manner. In reality, the Great Prince only felt sorry for Oakwood and didn't think his brother was anything like how anyone described him at the service.

"I'm sorry that you don't have your brother to play with anymore," Clover stated innocently.

"I am too, little kit," the Great Prince chuckled, "even though we haven't been playing for a long time. What is your name?"

"Clover," was Clover's response.

"I hope to see you sometime soon, Clover," the Great Prince of the Forest smiled for the first time in public since he had learned of Oakwood's death. "You have an air of innocence and understanding that the majority of us would love to have." Clover beamed with pride.


	2. Clover's Pack

Clover felt lost in her large family sometimes. She had six older brothers, four older sisters, ten younger sisters, three younger brothers and two sisters and one brother that were born at almost the exact same time that she was (nobody cared whether or not they were older or younger. They were all just called "the fourth pack.")

Clover loved her family, but she got lost in all her siblings' names. Happily, her siblings sometimes forgot her name too. Clover knew that her oldest siblings—the first pack—were Bit, Bun, Nee, Rab and Tailer. She knew the members in her pack were herself, Cottontail, Peter and Fluff.

Clover, Cottontail, Peter and Fluff had some marvelous adventures together. One time, they dared to go with Bit without their mother's permission. They had fun chasing the fawns and eating the blossoms, but it wasn't as much fun when Clover's mother went searching for them all over the forest and ended up giving them a month-long punishment for leaving without asking for permission.

After Cottontail, Peter and Fluff Clover's favorite sibling was one of her younger sisters, Blossom. Blossom was one of the happiest, but shyest, creatures that Clover had ever met. She blushed all the time, but could make Clover laugh whenever Clover was patient enough to talk and talk and talk some more to Blossom without hearing a word.

"Cottontail, Fluff, Peter, we're going to take Blossom with us to our trip to the meadow," Clover informed her pack when they were five months old. It was their second visit away from their mother and the pack was a little excited about it.

"Oh, Clover do we _have _to bring her too?" Peter groaned, "she's such a baby."

"I am _not _a baby," two-month-old Blossom protested. Peter rolled his eyes, but led the way to the meadow.

The first thing that the pack and Blossom did was eat. They ate the blossoms, some of the most delicious things they had ever seen.

"I'm so happy that Papa isn't here," Cottontail declared, "or he would make us eat greens too."

"Yeah!" Clover giggled, "they're disgusting." Fluff and Blossom giggled too.

"Don't make fun of Papa," Peter cried, "he knows what is and isn't good for us."

"Oh, Peter," Fluff began, "you admire him so much sometimes you forget how to have fun!"

"Hey!" Peter huffed, "I do too know how to have fun."

"Then why are you always defending Papa?" little Blossom pointed out. Peter glared at her.

"You stay out of it," Peter barked, "you're too young to understand anything. I bet Mamma will throw a fit when she sees _you _here."

"Mamma loves me," Blossom purred.

"Mamma loves all of us," Fluff sighed, "but she wants to keep us safe. Speaking of which, did a certain Clover _ask _before she brought Blossom along?"

"Somewhat," Clover blushed, "I asked Tailer."

"Clover!" Peter scolded his sister, "you know that the first pack will let us do anything, even if it gets us into trouble. It's their way of fun and it has been their way of fun for three. Whole. Years."

"Three _years_?" Blossom questioned Peter, "no rabbits live that long."

"Papa has lived for five years," Fluff pointed out, "and Mamma is four. Bit and Bun are married too. I thought you knew that." Blossom shook her head.

"Blossom has a lot to learn about our family," Clover defended Blossom, "and she will learn it quickly."

"Perhaps," Peter muttered, "but I doubt it."

Happily, the pack returned soon enough that Clover's mother didn't find out that Blossom had gone with them for months.

When Clover was seven months old, she began to meet other rabbits. She was almost full grown by that time, but still had a lot to learn about life and about the forest. Her first friend outside of her family was a gopher named Dig.


End file.
